Flood welding is a method by which an existing cavity within a metal block (typically, a “die block” used in manufacturing operations) is filled in a generally continuous manner by depositing new metal material using a welding process. To achieve proper flood welding, a combination of the correct materials, equipment, and welding technique (including use of tools and timing) are applied.
In a typical manual flood fill, a welder begins by preparing the work piece to be welded by removing fatigued metal and cracks through a “scarfing” (a process involving mechanical gouging with a specialized tool to remove material from the piece to be welded) or machining (a process involving the use of machine tools to remove material from the piece to be welded).
The piece is then pre-heated to a temperature in the 800-1000° F. range, and placed in a mounting of some sort (or, if sufficiently large, placed on a floor or other suitable surface). In any case, the piece is positioned so as to make the cavity to be filled accessible and at sufficient angle to enable flood welding operations. The piece to be welded must be fully wrapped in ceramic blankets or similar insulation to retain preheat; localized heat may also be required to ensure that interpass temperature is maintained.
The welding equipment is arranged so as to be in sufficient proximity to the piece to easily reach the cavity to be filled, and the appropriate type of wire and welding materials for the piece are installed into the welding equipment.
Based on the geometry of the cavity and physical configuration of the piece relative to the welder, the operator chooses a welding pattern for filling the cavity. Using their skill, and observing the piece through a protective mask or shield, the welding equipment is operated so as to fill the cavity in the piece beginning at the low area and continuing to the top within the cavity boundaries, with minimal stopping. This is done with the welder depositing the material into the cavity in layers, with one layer of material built upon the other.
Throughout the process, the welder monitors and controls key parameters such as wire supply speed, welding tip angle relative to the piece, temperature of the base material, temperature profile across any given layer, the geometry of the layer, and related characteristics. The operator must observe and ensure “interpass” (between deposition of each layer) temperature is a minimum of 700° F. while welding.
The operator “peens” (applies a hammer to) the area of the weld on the piece. This occurs after the welding step but while the weld remains extremely (“red”) hot. A source of heat (such as a furnace, gas/electric source) is applied to equalize the temperature throughout the piece. This is done after peening but prior to the weld piece substantially cooling. The piece is allowed to return to ambient temperature, then placed in a furnace to be tempered. This is done to achieve proper hardness required of the metal deposited in the weld.
When complete, the operator waits for the piece to cool sufficiently to be handled, unmounts the piece, and provides it to the customer for further machining/remanufacturing steps as required.
Although systems for performing remote welding operations have been disclosed, they do not possess the features desired or associated with flood welding. One example is U.S. Publication No. 2014/0014637, which discloses a system enabling a user to control the welding operation occurring within a welding chamber. The system may include a camera or other imaging system (e.g., an infrared imaging system) configured to capture images, which may then be displayed to the user via a suitable display device. Based upon the images from the camera, signals associated with the movements of the welding simulation device may be transmitted to the robotic welder. The user may be located relatively proximal to the location at which the actual welding operations are being performed, such as by being located within the same room as the welding chamber, such that the various components of the system may be directly coupled to one another via suitable communicative links (e.g., suitable cables). Alternatively, the user may be located at any other location around globe, such as by being located in a different building, city and/or country as the location of the welding chamber. In such an embodiment, the various components of the system may be communicatively coupled to one another via a suitable network (e.g., the internet) and/or any other suitable communicative coupling.
The Published '637 Application states that the apparatus being welded may generally comprise any suitable object and/or combination of objects to which a welding operation is desired to be performed. “For instance, in several embodiments, the apparatus may comprise one or more part(s) and/or component(s) that are being assembled and/or repaired during the performance of the welding operation. Additionally . . . the term “welding operation” may refer to any suitable welding operation known in the art, such as the joining of two components or the cladding build-up of a surface. However, one of skill in the art would also appreciate that this definition of “welding operation” does not take into account the complexities of flood-fill welding operations.